The character of food

In Like Water for Chocolate I feel food is more a conduit for Tita than anything else. It serves many functions for the book, usually one major function per chapter, but I wouldn't call it a character in itself. It is more a catalyst for Tita: it avenges Tita when her sister marries her love, it heals her when she cannot speak, and it refuses to taste good to her evil mother ultimately setting in motion the events that lead to her death. When Tita is down, food is there to lift her back up, whether she makes it herself or if prepared by someone else (like the soup). Food seems to be an extension of herself as her emotions are relayed through her food (her sadness is inflicted upon the cake thus all who eat it, her irritation is inflicted upon the proposal dinner and is thus not as good as normal).